Process and apparatus for transforming organic matter



Aug. 31 1926.

,E. P. COOKE' PRocEss AND`A1=PARATUS FORv TRANsFoaMING ORGANIC' MATTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 15. 1923 INVENToR.

Edward Payson Cooke BY Aug. 3'1., 1926.

' E. P. COOKE PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSFORMING ORGANIC MATTER 2 sheets-smeet 2 Filed June v13.

Il lb I l l l I Il.

A W m INVENToR. y s on C o oke w/ ATTORNEYS.

Edward Pa a n a n. A

Patented ug.l 31, A1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFICE;

EnwAnn rrsoN cooxE,

BEceAnI conronAr'IoN,

or rA'rEnsoN,` NEW JERSEY, AssIeNoE. To AMEnTcAN or NEwYorr, N. Y., A conronA'rToN or NEW Yoan.

rnocEss AND ArrAnArUs ron 'rEANsEomnNe ORGANIC MATTER.

Application led June 13, 1923.: Serial No. 645,058.

so that it may be used as anorganlc fertilizer.

An invention of this A general character formsthe subject matter of Reissue Patent.

No. 15,417, granted to Giuseppe Beccari on 'July 25, 1922. This patent shows a struc- `ture consisting of a number of chambers within which material is placed and allowed to remain for a sulicient time to be converted into a harmless, odorless mass by the l action of the micro-organisms of fermenta- I. obtained b tion. The air required for the .bacterial ac- `tlons which occur within/the chambers is natural upward circulation around an through the material, the air entering the chambers-through ports below i `the material and the gaseous products of 'fermentation passing from the chambers over `suitable substances vfor absorbing' their offensive constituents. The process may. thusbe carried out without contaminating the surrounding air, which is of particular `advantage as it permits vthe used inA communities where ot er methods of garbage and organic refuse cannot well be employed. Y

During the early stages of fermentation `there is arapld rise lof the temperature of the mass of material due to the increase of the micro-organisms o f fermentation' contained therein, but in the apparatus in 'cold weather it has been found that portions,

' ofthe mass lying next to the outside walls of the chambers are retarded in their fer- 1mentation by the low external temperature to which these walls are exposed and while fermentationv may be eventually completed, the len h of time required is prolonged beyond t at which would be required if'the apparatus were located inv a warmer climate.

It is a general object of the inventionS to provide a process and apparatus for acceleratingthe fermentation of organic matter, particularly in cold weather, and for obtaining other advantagesin the practical op- Y tion to a paratus to' be fwhich would cause an 'excess of vbe admitted-to the chambers. If the matterv to be supplied'to the chambers initially con- V tains an vexcessive amount of moisture it may Y that it maybecome lfurther eration of fermentation apparatus of thisv character.'

In accordance,V with the chambers Within which fermentation takes place are enclosed on their top and sides by a heat-retaining structure which shields the mits their wlltside walls and the portions of the fermentmg matter lying next to them to be maintained in al warnr condition. The

y invention the v chambers from 'the action of wind and pern structure is also adapted to serve as a storage space for the completely fermented matter after it has 'been removed from the chambers, at which time it. has' a considerable temperature which is thus utilized in addi-` the warmth of the chambers for warming vthe airwithinthe structure. At the'same time the mass removed from the chambers is also kept in -awarm condition so as to permit the development of the complementary micro-flora favorable to agriculture and which do not thrive under the con;

-ditions of high temperature prevailing in the Vchamber during the fermentation operation.

- The air supplied to the chambers to maintain and propagate the micro-organisms peculiar to fermentation is taken from the warm interior of the structure'instead .of from the cold external atmosphere' and by being thus preheated it is in better'condition to acceleratel fermentation within the chambers.

By providing an enclosure over the topof t the chambers severa-l practical advantages are obtained in the operation of the apparatus during both hot and cold weather, since -in summer the doorways and windows of the enclosure may be closed b screens to keepv in flies and other insects w ich may be present in the organic matter supplied 'to the chambers, so that they may be killed by the use of a-suitable insecticide which may also act as an odor-repellent. Theenclosure also permits th'e unloading of the vehicles containing'the organic matter without subjecting the matter to the be .placed on the roof of the chambers for a sujiicientlength of time to permltl the molsture to drain out of it without any danger rain orY snow. The enclosure also provides moistened4 by v action of rain'or snowV` moisture to A spread out onthe roof of the hicles used for transporting` the matter to the chambers may `be washedout and the solid' organic matter washed from the vehicles may be left on the roof of the chambers until the water has drained therefrom,

'after which it can be put into the chambers,-

the'water used inwashing being allowed to drain into-the sewer or some other suitable place.

' w1ll appear more clearly froma-description of a accompanying drawlngs 1n whlch ratus.

preferred-embodiment as shown in the Fig; A1 is an elevation principally in sec-, tion of aseries of fermentation chambers with the invention applied thereto.

Y Fig. 2 is a plan of the apparatusl in section just below the roof of the chambers and Fig. 3-is an external view of the appa- The apparatus consists of a number of ad- I r ljacent fermentation 'chambers 1, whichare shownof the "general type disclosed in the Beccari -patent referred to above. "Each -chamber ,is-provided near its bottom with a grating 2'upon which the material 3 to be fermented rests. Air is supplied to the chambersbelow the gratings through apertures 4 in the bottom ofthe side walls'of the chambers. At'each corner of each chamber 'there is a conduit 5 communicating with the spacebelow the grating and provided with openingsbeneath horizontal baffles 7 which'. deflect the material as it falls 'into the chamber, .to leave vacant spaces below the baiiles through which airmay circulate from the conduits 5 to moreV effectively cause the development of the micro-organisms of fermentation within the mass, as

fully explained in the said patent.

Each chamber'is an absor the gase offensive provided at its top with us products of fermentation the constituents in order that the gas ultimately dischargedfrom the chamber through the vent 8 may be odorless and non-infectious.

.way 10 below which is suspended a conical The roof 9 :o f the chambers is provided above each chamber with a charging doordele'ctor -11 for distributing the material more uniformly through\the chamber as it is fed into the sme. Each chamber has in its outer wall a doorway 12 through which' tion apparatus 8 for takingout-.of

the solid productsof fermentation may be removed, these doorways is provided with a suitable closure which has been omitted from the drawings for the sake of simplicity.

During the process of fermentation liquids of dierent compositions containing some of the micro-organisms peculiar to fermentation drain from the mass, and to collect these liquids in order 'that the microorganisms which they c ntain lmay be conserved for re-introduction intothe fermenting mass or for accelerating an initial fermentation i'n a freshly filled chamber, a conduit 13 leads from the bottom of each chamber into'n common conduit114 which discharges into a sump 15, Fig. 2. from which the liquids mayav beremoved from time to Y A y time. The particular nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof In order to permit the vehicles 16 which are used for conveying the material to the apparatus tobe driven over the roof 9 of t-he chambers ramps 17 are provided ateach end ofthe series of chambers as shown most clearly in Figs.,2 and 3. TheV charging doorways 10 of each transverse pair of chambers are placed suliciently far apart to permit the vehicles to pass'betweenthem as shown in Fig. 1.

The fermentation chambers are placed within a building 18 consisting' of portions 19 on the sides of the chambers-and a portion 20 above the chambers. .The side en- -closures 19 of the-building consist ofpwalls 21 and sloping oofs 22 supported upon the .walls 21, columns 23 and the side walls 24 of the top enclosure 20 which is provided with a roof 25. The outer portions ofthe side enclosures 19 serve as storage spaces for the completely fermented material 3' re-4 moved from the chambers. To permit this material to be conveniently loadedupon vehiclesto be carried v.away the ends of each side enclosure are .provided with doorways 26 through which vehicles may enter and leave. These enclosures may also be provided with suitable windows 27. Anextension 28 may also be the attendants, storage space, tool rooms and the like.

The upper enclosure 20 is provided at its ends with' doorways 29 in line with the ramps 17 through which vehicles may enter Yand leave this enclosure to bring material to the apparatus. The upper enclosure may also be provided with windows 30, and the vents 8 extend through the roof 25 into the external atmosphere. The sides of the roof of the chambers are provided with gutters 31 intol which liquid draining from the material deposited upon the roof may flow through ports 32 in thek side walls 24. The roof may be anticlinal to permit natural drainage toward the gutters or the liquids may be swept into the gutters in case a flat it beingv understood that each. of

provided to furnish quarters for "ntomas roof is 'preferrech` The gutters may discharge into a sewer or other suitable waste receiver.

' In the operation ofthe apparatus described above the material to be supplied to the chambersfor fermentation is -conveyed to the to s of the chambers -by'the vehicle 16 .and

itis notr too 'moist to b placed in the chambers it is immediately ydumped therein through the charging doorwa s` 10, being distributed in the chambers by t e de- Y 'Hector 11.. After the chambers have been I 'f filled the charging doorways are tightly closed by suitable doors and the material --is -leftin the chambers for a sutlicient length of time lto complete the fermentation opera- Ltion caused by the mircro-organisms which are'maintained and .propagated by' the air which enters through .the a erturesA :and

Y terial. The

tion are free of thelr noxious constituents passes through and around t e mass of maseous roducts of fermentain the absorption chambers 8. The liquid productsof fermentation -drain through the grating 3.and flow through the conduits 13V peratures and 'the cooling effect of the Wind. A The'temperature ofthe airin the-enclosures may be controlled by opening/more. or less` and propa mentation.

of the windows 27 and 30 aswell as the doors at' .the ends ofthe chambers.r The warming of the air in the enclosures Vb the heat radiated from the walls of the chambers is-also of advantage. as this air enters the chambers at' a higher temperature and.

is 'therefore better adapted for maintaining gatingl the micro-organisms of fer- After the fermentation ofthe material is completefit.A is removedfrom the chambers through the discharge doorways 12 and stored in the outer parts of the side enclosures, asat 3', until it isdesired to rej this hegt is available for'warming-the air' move it for' use as' afertjlizeri vWhen removed from the chambers the material is warm and by storing it Within the enclosures within heenclosures and for causingn the ldevelopment of the complementary microvliora favorable to agriculture. Y

clef 16vis in too moist a condition for imme-` Vdiate supply. to the chambers it ma .bef

placed upon gratings on the top .o ,the

Chambers untll the moisture is drained. therefrom, this moisture llowing through the ports 32 to the gutters 31 fromk which it Hows. into a se'wer or other suitable place. As the material isV prbtected durin the drying operation there is no danger tat it will matterafter it has be again moistered b rainu or snow Iii cold Aweather when t e -material may be frozen it can be thawed outl by the heat from the chambers without exposure to the weather. After the material has been suiiiciently dried it is .introduced into the chambers as described above. n

By providing screens for the doorways 26 and 29 and windows 27 and 3() iies and other insects'which may be brought in with the loads ofmaterial are confined within the building and thus prevented from infesting the neighborhood. They may be exterminatedby using 'a suitable insecticide,

which is also an advantage in lessening or preventing odors within the building. While a preferred embodiment` of the invention has vbeen shown and described, it will beunderstood that it maybe employed in other formsand that various changes in details of construction maybe made .without departing from the principle ofthe invention as delined in the appended claims.

I claim 1. A fermentation process for transforming organic matter into a form in which its nitrogen is available, which consists in conining the matter within a chamber, supplying air to the chamber to permeate the matter and maintain and ropagate the microorganisms peculiar to fiirmentation'and preheating the air supplied to the chamber by the heat of fermentation. 7 A

"2. A fermentation process for transforming organic matter into a form Vin which its nitrogen is available, which consists inconlining the matter within a chamber, sup-l i plying air tothe chamber to permeate the matter and -maintain and propagate 4the microorganisms peculiar to fermentation land preheating the air' suppliedto the chamber bythe heat of the completely fermented 3l `A fermentation process for. transforming organic matter into a form in which its nitrogen is available,`which consists in con- "fining the matter within a chamber, supber by the heat produced bythe fermentation withinthe chamber to 'raise the tem- I perature of the air Ato promote fermentavIf the material unloaded from the vehition.

been removed .from the 4. A fermentation process for` transform'- i ing organic matter into fa' form in which its nitrogenisavailable, which consists in confining the matter within a chamber, su plying airto theA chamber to permeate t e matter and maintain and`.propagate the micro-organisms peculiar to v fermentation and subjecting the air supplied to the cham- ,ber totheheating .effect of the completely fermented matter removed from the cham- 5. In apparatus for transforming organic matter into a formin which itsnitrogenv is available, fthe' combination .ofa chamber for receiving the matter, means for supplying air to the chamber -to maintain and pro agate the micro-organisms peculiar .to er` mentation and means-for'preheating the air supplied to the chamber by the effect of the )heat f fermentation.

, 6. Inapparatus for transforming organic matter mto a formin which its mtrogeli is available, the combination of a chamber for`v receiving 'the matter, means for supplying air to the chamber tocmaintain and pro agate the micro-organisms peculiar to ermentation and means for preheating` the air supplied to the chamber by the heat -of the completely fermented'matter vafter it has.

been removed from the chamber.

receiving the matter, a supportin 7. In apparatus for transforming organic matter intol a form in which its nitrogen is available, the combination of a chamber `for for .the matter spaced from the ottoni of the chamberand provided wtih apertures, means for supplying air to the. .below the member tol permeate: the matten and maintain and'pro'pagate .the micro-organisms peuliar to fermentation and means for preheating the air sup lied to the ace below themember by tiieheat `of t e completely fermented matter afterit has been removed from the chamber. A v

9. In apparatus for transforming organic matter by a, fermentation process into a form in which its nitrogen isiavailable, the combination of a chamber' for receiving the' matter and from which the matter is removedafter fermentation has taken place,

means forv su plying air to the chamber to maintain an propagatev the' micro-organisms peculiar to fermentation and means associated with the chamber for receiving the Vfermented matter removed therefrom in order that its heat may be used for preheat ing'the air supplied to the chamber.

10. In apparatus for transforming oi'- ganic matter by a fermentation process into af form in` which its nitrogen is available,

ber to raise'the temperature of the airto. vpromote fermentation. V;

member the combination of acliamberwfor receiving' the mattei` and-from which the matter is removed after fermentation has taken place,

means for su plying air to the chamber to maintain an propagate the micro-organisms peculiar tofermentation and'means asf'sociated with the chamber for-'preheating the air supplied to the-chamber by, the heat vproduced by fermentation taking place withinthe chamber.

11. In apparatus for-transforming organic matter into a formyin .which its nitrogen is available, the combination of an inner chamber for receiving the matter, an outer chamber surrounding the inner cham# ber and means for supplying air to the inner chamber from the outer chamber to maintain and propagate the micro-organisms of fermentation. 's

12. In apparatus for transforming organic matter into a form inrwhich its nitro'- gen is available, the combination of'an inner chamber for receiving the matter, an outer chamber surrounding the inner chamber and adapted to. receivethe completely fermented matter after it has been removed from the inner chamber and means for s u plying air to the inner chamber from 't e outer chamber to maintain andpropagate the micro-or anisms of fermentation, said air being pre cated by jthe effect of the heat ofthe fermented matter in the structure.

.13.' In apparatus for transforming or-l ganic matter into a form in which its nitrogen Ais available, the combination of a chamber within which the material may be subjected tgfermentation, means for supplylng air to the chamber to maintain and propagate the4 micro-organisms of fermentation and means spaced from the'walls ofthe chamber for protecting the chamber and the air supplying means from the detrimental effect of changes in the external atmosphere.

14. In apparatus for transforming organic Amatter into a form in which its nitro gen is available, the combination of a chamer within which thekmaterial may'be sub jected to fermentation, a hea t retaining enclosure for the chamber providing heat in- -sulating spaces,. means for supplying air to the chamber from the enclosure to maintain and propagate the microforganisms of fermentation and means for removing the offensive constituents from the gaseous products of 'fermentation discharged from the chamber.

15. In apparatus for transforming or-v ganic matter into a form in which its nitrogen is available, the combination of a chamber within which the material may be subjected `to fermentation, a heat retaining enclosure for the chamber, means for supplying air to the chalnber from the enclosure to4 maintain and propagate the micro-organ isms of fermentation, means for removing ganic matter into a form in which its nitrogen is available, the combination of a 'chamber within which the material maybe subjected to fermentation, a heat retaining enclosure for the sides'and top of the chamber, means for supplying air to the chamber from the enclosure to maintain and propagate the micro-organisms of fermentation and means for removing the offensive constituents from the gaseous products of fermentation discharged from the chamber.

17. In apparatus 'for transforming or ganic matter into a form in'which its nitro- 'gen is available, the 'combination of a chamber within which the matter may be subjected to fermentation, a building surrounding the exposed sides of the chamber for protecting the, same. .from the external atmosphere and adapted to serve as a storage space for completely fermented material removed from the chamber, means for supplying air to the chamber from within the building to-maintain and propagate the microorganisms of fermentation -and means for removing offsensive constituents from the gaseous products of fermentation discharged from the chamber.

18. In apparatus for transforming organic matter into a form in which its nitrogen is available, the combination of a pluV rality of chambers provided with a common roof having doorways through which4 the matter may be supplied to the chambers for fermentation therein, each of said chambers being provided with ya doorway in a side wall through which the completely fermented matter may be removed, a heat-retaining enclose above the roof and along the sides -of the ,chambers and provided Awith doorways to permit vehicles to pass over the roof for conveying matter to the chambers and to pass along the sides of the chambers for conveying the fermented matter away after it has been 'removed from the chambers, means for supplying air to the chambers from the enclosure to permeate the matter in the chambers and maintain and propagate the micro-organisms of fermentation, means forL removing the offensive constitu` ents from the gaseous products' of fermenta` tion discharged from the chambers and means for discharging the purified gases into the air outside of the enclosure.

19. In apparatus for transforming organic matter into a form in which its nitrogen is available, the combination of a plurality of chambers provided with a common roof having doorways through which the matter may beI supplied to the chambers for fermentation therein, each of said chambers being provided with a doorway in aside wall through which the completely fermented matter may be removed, a heat-retaining enclosure above the roof and along the sides of the chambers and provided with doorways to permit vehicles to pass over the roof for conveying matter to the'cham- .bers and to pass along the sides of the chambers for conveying the fermented matter 'away after it has been removed from the chambers, means for supplying air to the chambers from the enclosure to permeate the matter in thezvchambers"andf'maintain and` propagate the micro-organisms of fermentation, means for removing the offensive constituents from the gaseous products of fermentation discharged from the chambers, means for discharging the purified gases into the air outside of the enclosure, a conduit leading from each chamber for removing therefrom the liquid products of fermentation and means 1n communication with the conduits for collecting said products.

20. In apparatus for transforming organic matter into a form in which its nitrogen is available, the combination of a plurality of chambers provided with a common .roof on which the matter may be deposited Abers, means-for supplying air to the chambers from the enclosure to permeate the matter in the'chambers and maintain and propav gate the micro-organisms of fermentation, means for removing the offensive constituents from the gaseous products of fermentation discharged from the chambers and means for discharging the 'purified gases into the air outside ofthe enclosure.

In testimony whereof I vatlix my signature.

EDWARD PAYSOIN COOKE. 

